


Surprise Birthday

by ArcaneWeapon



Category: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII (Video Game 1997), Final Fantasy VII Remake (Video Game 2020)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Birthday, Birthday Presents, F/M, Fluff, Kissing, Marriage Proposal, Romance, Short One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-07
Updated: 2021-02-07
Packaged: 2021-03-13 05:22:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,570
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29273175
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ArcaneWeapon/pseuds/ArcaneWeapon
Summary: Aerith returns home after a long day of work, only to find her friends have a huge surprise for her.
Relationships: Aerith Gainsborough/Cloud Strife
Comments: 4
Kudos: 29





	Surprise Birthday

As Aerith rounded the corner to her house, she sighed softly to herself. It had been a long day, full of numerous flower deliveries that had consumed all of her attention. She was happy her little flower business was doing well, it was just a bit depressing since she hadn't been able to spend time with any of her friends. Of course, they didn't know today was a special day for her, given the fact she'd never told any of them it was her birthday.

They were all so _busy_ with their own lives already, and she didn't want to trouble them with a tiny little thing that didn't really matter all that much. Besides, she was plenty used to celebrating it all on her own already. Even if it _was_ a little lonely. One person, in particular, floated to the front of her thoughts who she'd prefer to spend it with, but she shook her head—he already had so much on his plate.

The lights in the house were all out, indicating Elmyra was out visiting a friend. They'd already celebrated her birthday this morning, however, and Aerith hadn't expected her to be around tonight anyway. She was looking forward to getting inside, slipping off her shoes, making something delicious for dinner, and then just relaxing in a long, warm bath. Stepping inside, she closed the door behind her and reached for the light switch.

"Happy Birthday Aerith!"

Aerith staggered backward into the door, taken completely by surprise as the lights flicked on and seven people all shouted the words together. Tears immediately sprang up and flowed down her cheeks, a smile spreading across her lips as she stared at them in amazement.

"But . . . how did you know?" she managed to ask, overwhelmed.

Cloud grinned at her. "Your mom _might_ have ended up mentioning it the other day."

"And then _someone_ decided you needed a party to end all parties," Tifa said, smiling as she elbowed Cloud gently in the stomach.

They certainly had gone overboard. The room was _filled_ with balloons, streamers, and there was even a series of massive block letters that read 'Happy Birthday' hanging from the ceiling.

"How old are you?" Marlene asked, running up and hugging Aerith's leg.

Aerith laughed brightly, leaning down to pick the little girl up. "I'm twenty-three now."

Marlene's eyes widened. "Wow, that's _old_."

Jessie, Biggs, and Wedge all burst into laughter, while Tifa was biting her lip to avoid following suit. Cloud winced but smiled softly, shaking his head as he walked over to join her at the door.

Barret rushed forward, his face beet red as he took his daughter from Aerith. "I'm so sorry," he said, looking away.

She shook her head in amusement. "It's fine, I agree with her, I _am_ old."

"Don't be silly," Cloud murmured, wrapping his arm around her and pulling her with him to drop down onto the sofa. The coffee table was piled with presents, causing her eyes to well up.

"You guys . . . You shouldn't have."

"Of course we should have," Cloud said firmly, his arm squeezing her gently. "Now, who wants to go first?"

Marlene wiggled out of Barret's grip and dropped to the floor, rushing to the table. "Me, me, I want to give Aerith the present from me and daddy!" She picked up a piece of paper and carefully held it out, smiling.

Aerith gently took it from her, her heart swelling as she looked at the picture made with crayons. "This is me with . . . a Chocobo?" she guessed. She wasn't entirely sure about that last part, there was something sticking out of the top of the yellow, spiky blob next to her.

"No, it's Cloud, silly. Chocobos can't carry swords."

Aerith's eyes widened slightly and she glanced over at Cloud, a flash of amusement flickering across his face. "I love it Marlene, thank you so much!"

The little girl nodded shyly and ran to hide behind Barret, poking her head around his legs to watch.

"I guess we'll go next," Biggs said, picking up a short, rectangular box and offering it to her.

"I hope she likes it, bro," Wedge muttered, shifting nervously before Jessie punched him lightly.

Aerith carefully opened the box, pulling off the thin layer of paper inside and revealing an incredible pink dress. She shifted gently out of Cloud's grip and stood up, holding the dress in front of her. Dropping to her ankles, it was strapless, but modest, exposing her back in a u-cut, while the front would only reveal a hint of cleavage. She immediately fell in love with it.

"It's beautiful," she said happily. "I think I know which one of you picked it out though."

The two men flushed while Jessie grinned. "I'm glad you like it," she said.

Dropping back down onto the sofa, Aerith snuggled back against Cloud, sighing in contentment as his arm slipped around her once again. "I can't wait to see it on you," he whispered so only she could hear. "Or getting to take it off you . . ."

Her entire body pooled with heat at his words, and she desperately hoped her face wasn't as red as it felt like it was. She couldn't help but imagine that scenario and how badly she wanted it to happen as well. Later. Now wasn't the time, she still had two presents left to open.

"Alright, my turn!" Tifa said, grabbing the larger of the two boxes on the table and carrying it over. "Careful, it's a little heavy."

Aerith lowered it onto her lap, nodding her thanks for the warning. Ripping off the paper and opening the box underneath, she found a tall, glass vase inside. "Oh, Tifa! It's perfect!" She wanted to hop to her feet and run outside to grab some flower to put in it right away but forced herself to wait till later.

Her friend smiled back warmly. "I'm looking forward to seeing the beautiful arrangements you'll make with it."

"Well, I guess I'm last," Cloud said, a faint hint of nervousness in his voice surprising her. He leaned over and picked up the small box from the table, handing it over to her.

Aerith's heart was beating so fast and so loudly she wouldn't be surprised if everyone in the room could hear it. All of the presents so far had been incredible, but this one was _special_. She couldn't wait to see what Cloud had picked out for her. And in a box this small . . .

She gasped softly—a hand lifting to cover her mouth—as she opened the box to reveal a delicate silver ring with an emerald set into it.

"Aerith Gainsborough, will you marry me?" Cloud asked quietly, his eyes gazing at her lovingly.

The entire world stopped. Everything faded from her field of view except for the amazing man sitting next to her on the sofa. She could hardly believe this was happening right now. Happiness and joy were swirling throughout her as she fought back new tears threatening to overwhelm her.

"Yes, yes! I'd love to!" And then she was kissing him, and he was kissing her, slipping the ring on her finger. She could faintly hear the others in the room clapping and cheering, but her entire attention was focused on Cloud.

"Alright, alright, the party's over!" Tifa called out, prodding people toward the door. "Looks like Cloud's got a special present for Aerith, let's give them some privacy, guys."

While she hadn't been overly concerned about kissing Cloud in front of all her friends initially, Aerith could feel her cheeks blazing like an inferno now. Although . . . some alone time with her boyfriend—fiancé—on her birthday would be _especially_ nice. She smiled appreciatively at her best friend.

Marlene pouted as Barret picked her up. "Noooo, what's the special present? I wanna seeee!"

A look of panic flashed across Barret's face, diminishing Aerith's embarrassment and causing her to giggle.

"It's more kissing!" Jessie explained, leaning in and ruffling the little girl's hair.

"Oh. Kissing is gross," Marlene stated matter of factly.

Tifa laughed. "You never know, someday you might find someone who changes your mind about that."

Marlene frowned, but not as deeply as Barret did. "Only if they make it past me first," he grumbled.

A moment later everyone had filed out the front door, Tifa closing it behind her with a wink and a wave.

"Guess it's just the two of us now," Aerith said shyly, unable to tear her eyes away from Cloud's.

"About time," he murmured, leaning in and wrapping his arms around her tightly. The scent of him filled her nose, cedar and citrus mixing together to make her head spin. Oh, wait, no, the head-spinning was _definitely_ from the way he was deeply kissing her right now—his hands tangled in her hair.

" _Cloud_." All she was able to do was moan his name between kisses, her arms pulling him even more snuggly against her.

After a moment he moved slightly away, looking at her with lust-filled eyes. "I know Jessie only mentioned kissing, but I've got a _bit_ more than that in mind right now . . ."

Aerith vigorously nodded her head, yelping in delight as Cloud suddenly lifted her into his arms and headed toward the stairs, their lips meeting once again. She was so happy at this moment she thought she might explode.

_Best. Birthday. Ever._

**Author's Note:**

> Happy Birthday Aerith! I spun this up quickly today as a special present for our favorite flower girl, I hope you all enjoyed it! I also hope Cloud didn't come off as too OOC, I really wanted to write him as more comfortable and confidant in his relationship with Aerith this time around. I've also got a Valentine fic in the works for them, so keep an eye out for that in a week!


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